A bus stop on Mass. Ave. sheltered a homeless man as a late-night biker rolled by.

One of the rare 24-hour spots in Boston, the South Street Diner attracts "everything from drag queens, drunk bar hoppers, and workers on late shifts," according to waitress Kanga Collard.

The sweet smell of fresh, warm bread wafts through the North End each morning from bakeries like A. Parziale & Sons on Prince Street. Aldo Parziale, Pedro Ortiz, Matthew Parziale, and John Daley rhythmically slap risen dough on the table 3,000 times every day to produce bread sold to restaurants across the city.

The Boston skyline reflected hints of the sun's arrival.

The sun rose above the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge as rowers took advantage of the new light on the Charles River.

A worker at the Boston Fish Pier in South Boston loaded fresh fish, auctioned off from boats that had docked only hours before.

Office workers cast long shadows on their way to work during the morning rush near South Station.

An iron gate encloses a private garden in Beacon Hill on Chestnut Street.

The courtyard of the Boston Public Library shielded those looking for a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of the city just outside its doors.

Light filtered through colorful and ornate stained glass windows at Trinity Church in Copley Square.

Caroline Bennett, visiting from Washington D.C., sat for a caricature by Danielle Hersey at Quincy Market while her parents and brother watched.

With the timbre of his voice wavering, Mario Aldes spoke of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen with 413 others at Faneuil Hall. "It's a long dream … that's been realized," the Brazilian native said.

Trains and lines converged at the Park Street T station.

Kristopher Vu tried on Seaman James Turrell's sailor's hat while waiting for a tour of Old Ironsides, the U.S.S. Constitution, in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

In the middle of the Charles, Nadya Zaltsman took the helm of the Longfellow Bridget, an amphibious Boston Duck Tour boat with guide Gary Cormier, aka "The Great Garabaldi", and his co-pilot Alex Casey.

Café diners ate in the long shadows of a summer afternoon on Newbury Street, Boston's fashionable shopping district.

Children splashed in the streams of the fountain on the plaza of the Christian Science Center.

Hidden behind a pillar, an art student took advantage of a free-admission Wednesday to sketch a sculpture in the Museum of Fine Arts.

A grandstand fan shouted and pointed at Sox star Manny Ramirez as he came to bat against the Detroit Tigers at storied Fenway Park.

Squealing along curved tracks, a Green Line trolley rolled into the Government Center T station.

High above the city at the Top of the Hub restaurant in the Prudential Building, a couple took in a sparkling view of Boston at night.

Using crates as chairs and a newspaper honor box as a table, two men play an intense game of Chinese Chess at Beach Street and Harrison Ave. under the warm glow of street lights.

A nearly empty Red Line train heads out of Boston to Cambridge just before service stops for the night.